Ditch Davey
He’s certainly one of the more attractive characters on Blue Heelers, but then the fans have a soft spot for all of them, and love Martin and John just as much as they love Ditch. Ditch, part of the younger compatriot of characters on the hugely successful drama, has won over audiences with his kaleidoscope of facades as Evan Jones. We’ve seen it all from him – the soft side that comforted the pregnant colleague, the protective cop, the lady killer, the best friend to all, and so much more. Ditch Davey was born Kristian Davey, and only got his unusual nickname that he uses today from his sisters unfortunate inability to be able to pronounce Kristian. She forever called her brother Ditchin, and so the name Ditch stuck. Ditch was born on July 30, 1975 in Sydney’s north, and spent his childhood on the beaches there. As a child he attended French’s Forest Public School and Forest High School French’s Forest, where he completed year twelve in 1993. In1996, Ditch made the move west and began studying drama at the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts, where he graduated from in 1998, after playing a range of roles whilst studying there. His pictures still remain on the walls at the Mt Lawley campus where the Academy is located, and during open days his name can be heard throughout the crowds, as he is one of WAAPA’s most successful graduates. After his time in the west, Ditch quickly began making his mark on Australian and international screens. One of Ditch’s first acting gigs was on a Wrigley’s Eclipse chewing gum ad, but he soon moved onto better things and scored guest roles on weekly Australian dramas All Saints and Water Rats, telemovie Do or Die and an American show titled Flipper, and appeared in the majority of these with his original hair colour of blonde, of which Blue Heelers fans are not so familiar with, as for his role on Blue Heelers he dyed his locks to a deep brown. Standing at a towering 181cm, Ditch auditioned for the role of Evan Jones on Blue Heelers in early 2001, when the shows long time constable, Jack Lawson, played by Rupert Reid, made his departure. Ditch won the role easily, and moved to Melbourne at the last minute to begin this new chapter in his life. Like most newcomers to the set of Blue Heelers, Ditch settled in easily, and it seemed the role of Evan ‘Jonesy’ Jones was specially made for him and him only. His first episode, titled Dragged, was aired on July 18, 2001, and his character instantly made an impression, both on screen and off. Woman Australia wide fell head over heels, while on screen, Jonesy caused a stir in Tess Gallagher’s life, who took an almost instant dislike to her new constable and his hot head nature. Viewers soon got the feeling Tess was determined to straighten out the new young constable, fresh from the academy, and with perhaps too much knowledge of the force already, thanks to his police dynasty family history. A highlight for Ditch, and probably confirmation of what a great job he was doing as Evan Jones, came in April of 2002 when he won the silver Logie for Most Popular New Male Talent, Blue Heelers most recent win at the Logie Awards. Away from the Blue Heelers set, Ditch continued to swing back and forth between Melbourne and his second home, Perth. In Blue Heelers summer break at the end of 2002, Ditch came to Perth to play the role of Dennis Ziegler in the Black Swan Theatre Company’s production of This is our Youth, a hugely popular play with West Australian audiences. Ditch also made the trip to Perth year after year to support the children’s charity Telethon, and continues to till this day. Over the years, audiences have taken in many faces of Evan Jones. His character seems to be constantly changing, and some like some ‘eras’ of his character better than others. During his first two years of Blue Heelers, we saw him develop a love for his sergeant, Tess, and felt saddened along with him when she constantly rejected his attempts to win her over, even proposing marriage. Viewers still loved the relationship that bubbled between the two characters, and were forever frustrated at Tess and her constant pushing away of Evan. Cheers could be heard though however, when, in the 2002 season finale, he and Tess shared a passionate locker room escapade that saw out the year with a bang, and audiences dying with anticipation for the 2003 season. When Caroline Craig, who played the role of Tess, departed the show in September of 2003, viewers knew they would be in for some intense Tess/Jonesy storylines, and while saddened at Tess’s departure, reveled in the interaction between Jonesy and a very vulnerable Tess at last. But it wasn’t long before Constable Susie Raynor, played by newcomer Simone McAullay, came onto our screens, and viewers knew something was sure to happen between her and Jonesy. And they weren’t disappointed. 2004 was full of Susie and Jonesy moments, and 2005 promises even more. As for Ditch Davey’s real life love life, he has been linked with a number of high profile women. After playing a guest role on Blue Heelers, Simone Buchanan caught Ditch’s eye, and they dated for a short period. Once single again, Ditch was declared Melbourne’s Most Eligible Bachelor. Fashion designer Katie Davenport had her eye on him for a while though, as did many others, but unknown Melbournian, Mel Cross, has recently won Ditch’s heart and they can be seen together around Melbourne’s popular eateries and corporate events. 2005 turned considerably sour for our Evan, with Susie troubles engulfing much of the year, much to the disappointment of fans who only got 15 seconds of happiness when the couple became engaged for less than a day. However, 2006 saw Susie and Jonesy reconcile somewhat and whilst they didn’t exactly leave us viewers content that they were going to be together after Blue Heelers was no longer on the screen, they did mend their bridges, and with the relationship of Susie and Jonesy, that often proved to be the best anyone could hope for. In 2009 Ditch Davey became engaged.